Sally Brooks and Natasya Salim – A university student was getting ready for church on Christmas Eve in Indonesia when a man snuck into her apartment to carry out an attack that would scar her for life.
As she stepped out of the shower with a towel around her torso, the man allegedly poured acid over her face and body.
Sabrina Mutiara Fitri, Ihsanuddin, Semarang – Exactly 18 years since the first Kamisan (Thursday) action was held, dozens of activists have again taken to the streets to fight for justice for victims of human rights violations.
Bangkok – Prabowo S. Djojohadikusumo took office as Indonesia's president in October 2024 after winning the February election, raising human rights concerns because of his abusive record in the military, Human Rights Watch said in its World Report 2025 (https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2025).
Jakarta - The saying that there is no perfect crime is both a belief and the slogan of the police when investigating cases. But the National Police (Polri) headquarters is increasingly perfecting the chain of crimes committed by its own members.
Vinnilya, Jakarta – Bank Indonesia's (BI) decision to cut the benchmark interest rate by 25 basis points to 5.75 percent has raised concerns among economists about its impact on the exchange rate of the rupiah.
Celvin Moniaga Sipahutar, Jakarta – President Prabowo Subianto on Thursday called for stronger collaboration between businesses and the government to achieve an ambitious economic growth target of 8 percent, as he welcomed the new leadership of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin).
Pujud Andriastanto, Purbalingga – Sumanto, infamously known as the "Hannibal Lecter of Java," has turned into a rising social media content creator known for his unique and entertaining videos that often carry motivational messages.
Hanin Marwah, Jakarta – The National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) urges the government to consider the use of e-voting for the next election as part of the solution to address some persisting cases of human rights violations during the general elections.
Arnoldus Kristianus, Jakarta – The Indonesian government has officially adopted a global minimum tax rate of 15 percent to foster a healthier and more competitive investment climate, a senior official announced on Thursday.
Riri Rahayu, Jakarta – The Indonesian Capital Authority (OIKN) continues its investment target of Rp100 trillion in 2025 for the Nusantara Capital City (IKN). Previously, the Authority targeted Rp100 trillion in 2024, but the value realized at that time was only Rp58 trillion.
Bambang Ismoyo, Jakarta – Indonesia is gearing up to establish a special economic zone (SEZ) dedicated to semiconductor chip development in partnership with the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) in West Java, senior economic advisor Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan announced on Wednesday.
Prabowo Subianto Djojohadikusumo, a former Army general, won the presidential election in February 2024. Prabowo was implicated in grave rights violations while he was in military service that had led to his dismissal. His running mate, Gibran Raka, is the eldest son of outgoing President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo.
Jakarta – Car sales have been plummeting in Indonesia lately, but maybe that is not all bad news.
Figures presented by the Indonesian Automotive Manufacturers Association (Gaikindo) earlier this week show that 14 percent fewer new cars were sold from factories to dealers in 2024 than in 2023, and 2023 had already marked a decline from 2022.
Dede Leni Mardianti, Jakarta – Chair of the National Economic Council (DEN) Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan was offended by the World Bank's statement saying that Indonesia was one of the worst countries in collecting taxes. This was conveyed by the World Bank to Luhut when he visited the DEN Office three weeks ago.
Dede Leni Mardianti, Jakarta – The Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs (Komdigi) is reviewing complaints from online motorcycle taxi (ojol) drivers against application fees. The drivers claimed to have received deductions of up to 30 percent.
Rachel Farahdiba Regar, Jakarta – A researcher at the Center for Law and Social Justice Studies (LSJ) of the Faculty of Law, Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM), and a member of the Collective for Critical Legal Studies (Colleges), Markus Togar Wijaya, believes that human rights enforcement in Indonesia under the Prabowo Subianto government is merely rhetorical.
Jakarta – The Mutual Assistance Consultative Organization (MKGR), one of the founding organizations of Golkar Party, has opened its membership doors to former president Joko "Jokowi" Widodo and his eldest son Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka, according to MKGR chair Adies Kadir.
Rania Teguh – On the eve of a long-anticipated increase in Indonesia's value added tax (VAT) rate from 11 to 12 per cent, President Prabowo Subianto abruptly decided to revise the hike, announcing that it would apply only to luxury goods.
New vehicle sales in Indonesia declined by 6% to 79,806 units in December 2024 from 85,284 units a year earlier, according to wholesale data compiled by the local automotive industry association Gaikindo. Last month's sales came up against already weak year-earlier volumes, after the strong rebound from the pandemic lows had fizzled out last year.
President Prabowo Subianto might not have thought his remarks would spark a controversy when he recently suggested that Indonesia expand oil palm plantations without worrying about deforestation.
Arnoldus Kristianus, Jakarta – Bank Indonesia (BI) lowered its benchmark interest rate by 25 basis points to 5.75 percent during its January policy meeting, marking its first cut in four months.
Ali Mirin – In a concerted effort to stifle support for West Papua's aspiration for independence, Indonesia has embarked on diplomatic initiatives with Pacific nations and communities.
Arnoldus Kristianus, Jakarta – Indonesia recorded a trade surplus of $2.24 billion in December 2024, though the surplus decreased by 48.7 percent from the previous month and contracted by 31.9 percent compared to the same period in 2023, according to the Central Statistics Agency (BPS).
Erfan Maruf, Jakarta – Chief Economic Minister Airlangga Hartarto on Wednesday criticized the tendency of many wealthy Indonesians to shop abroad rather than spend their money locally, arguing that this behavior undermines the national economy.
Septia Ryanthie, Hussein Abri Dongoran, Solo – Former President Joko Widodo or Jokowi responded to a report on docking to the Police Criminal Investigation Unit.
Hammam Izzuddin, Jakarta – Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives (DPR), Sufmi Dasco Ahmad, has expressed concerns that abolishing the parliamentary threshold could disrupt legislative functions. He argues that an excessive number of political parties in parliament would hinder the effectiveness of both the legislature and the executive branches.
Yustinus Paat, Jakarta – President Prabowo Subianto has ordered the immediate removal of bamboo barriers illegally installed along 30 kilometers off the coasts of Tangerang Regency, Banten province, a close aide said on Wednesday.
As reported on its website, the Batam Free Trade Zone Authority (BP Batam) held a coordination meeting with the Wira Pratama 033 Sub-Regional Military Command (Korem) on Monday January 13. It is known that the coordination meeting discussed synergy in order to accelerate the Rempang Eco-City project.
Hendro Dahlan Situmorang, Jakarta – Anindya Novyan Bakrie, elected as Chairman of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) during a congress on Sept. 14, is set to be officially inaugurated for the 2024-2029 term, ending a leadership dispute with rival Arsjad Rasjid.
Irsyan Hasyim, Jakarta – The Indonesian Ministry of Environment said food waste generated from the free nutritious meal program will be influenced by several factors, including the scale of the program, the number of beneficiaries, distribution efficiency, consumer behavior, and the program's operators.
Faisal Maliki Baskoro, Jakarta – The percentage of Indonesia's population living in poverty decreased to 8.57 percent in September 2024, a decline of 0.46 percentage points compared to March 2024 and a 0.79 percentage point decrease from the same month in 2023.
Yustinus Paat, Jakarta – President Prabowo Subianto is planning to send elected regional heads, including governor-elects, on a retreat – similar to what his ministers went on at the start of their term.
Ilham Oktafian, Jakarta – Judge Rudi Suparmono has been accused of accepting bribes from the defense team of a defendant who fatally assaulted his girlfriend while serving as the chairman of the Surabaya District Court, a senior prosecutor revealed on Wednesday.
Fika Nurul Ulya, Robertus Belarminus, Jakarta – The Denny JA Indonesian Survey Institute (LSI) has revealed that the discourse on the election of regional heads (Pilkada) by Regional Representative Councils (DPRD) has received a negative response from the public, with as many as 76.3 percent expressing a negative sentiment on the idea.
Anwar Siswadi (Kontributor), Bandung – The Bandung City government is urging the developers of the Jagat app to take responsibility for the damage caused to public parks by users engaged in "coin hunting" within the app.
Yogi Eka Sahputra, Zacharias Wuragil, Batam – The Riau chapter of the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi) regrets the move by the Batam Free Trade Zone Authority (BP Batam) which is allegedly involving the TNI (Indonesian Military) in pushing through the Rempang Eco City National Strategic Project (PSN).
Wahroni, Jakarta – Housing Minister Maruarar Sirait announced plans to use land confiscated in corruption cases as a resource for the government's 3 Million Houses Program.
Daniel Ahmad Fajri, Jakarta – Prabowo's spokesperson, Dahnil Anzar Simanjuntak, said that President Prabowo Subianto and Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP) Chair Megawati Soekarnoputri are good friends.
When asked about whether Prabowo is open for PDIP to join the government, Dahnil said it has been Prabowo's stance "from the start."
Basudiwa Supraja, Erfan Maruf, Jakarta – Chief Economic Affairs Minister Airlangga Hartarto said Wednesday that Bank Indonesia's decision to cut the key interest rate to 5.75 percent could boost the people's purchasing power.
Jakarta – A volcano located in Halmahera erupted on Wednesday morning spewing a four-km (2.5-mile) high ash cloud, forcing authorities to raise the alert level in surrounding areas to the highest, officials said.
Jakarta – Following the failure of its pilot project, the government is actually extending the food estate program in North Sumatra. Natural forests and customary lands are under threat.
Jakarta – Scrolling on social media, moviegoer Jessica Sihotang stumbled across a film depicting a fellow woman in her 30s struggling to make the dream of buying a Jakarta home a reality.
Nearly two million like-minded moviegoers tuned in to watch the protagonist's house-hunting journey when "Home Sweet Loan" was released last year, the movie's producer said.
Titi Anggraini – After nearly 17 years of repeated legal challenges by civil society groups and political parties, the Constitutional Court (Mahkamah Konstitusi, MK) finally annulled the electoral threshold for presidential and vice-presidential nominations on 2 January.
Riri Rahayu, Jakarta – The Nusantara Capital Authority (IKN) is still awaiting President Prabowo Subianto's availability to conduct the groundbreaking ceremony for the ninth phase of the IKN project. IKN Authority Spokesperson Troy Pantouw confirmed that his team and the Ministry of Public Works have submitted a request for the inauguration to the Presidential Palace.
Jakarta – The Indonesian people need to learn from people in Kenya when responding to announcements by the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP). Rather than objecting, they protested that the global organization did not place President William Ruto at the top of the list for organized crime and corruption in 2024.
Indonesia, West Papua – On 10 December 2024, a group of students from the Walter Post School of Theology (STT) in Jayapura were arbitrarily stopped by police while they were driving to a public commemoration worship for the Human Rights Day, organised by the Papuan Council of Churches and Indigenous Pastors.
Jakarta – For a country that makes it quite hard for its citizens to bear arms, Indonesia has a notable gun violence problem.
Recent incidents, such as the fatal shooting of a civilian on the Tangerang-Merak toll road earlier this month, underscore the pressing need to reevaluate gun restrictions.
Muhammad Ghafur Fadillah, Jakarta – The Financial Services Authority (OJK) is evaluating the implementation of a Single Investor Identification (SID) system for cryptocurrency owners, which could conflict with the decentralized nature of crypto.
Wahroni, Jakarta – Health workers at Soekarno-Hatta (Soetta) and Halim Perdanakusuma Airports in Jakarta have increased surveillance efforts to prevent the spread of human metapneumovirus (HMPV).
Wijayanti Putri, Jakarta – Former President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo said Tuesday that he did not mind that his successor Prabowo Subianto would review his so-called "national strategic projects".